Musical chime signal construction



June 7, 1949. G. R. FlsH MUSICAL CHIME SIGNAL CONSTRUCTION Filed D60, 21, 1945 INVENTOR G50/665 E. /c/,S/v.

ATTORNEY Patented June 7, 1949 UNITED STATES GFF-ICE George R. Fish, NorwallcyGonn.,v .assignor to Edwards and Company, Ip-nczyNorwalky- Conni, a corporation of New York 3 Claims.

Thisa i invention relates .to musical signalling apparatus.

Qne'of. lthe objects ofthis invention is to provide a simple and practical and compact mechanically-actuatedmusical signalling device such as may be. attached. to a door or door frame of a home,A apartment, or the like. Another Objectis 'CU-provide' alsgnllng device of the above-mentionedxcliaracter'that can be made up of individually simple and inexpensive parts and capable ot speed 'and ease of. assembly. Another object isr to provide a: signalling construction of the above-mentioned character that will be rugged andv durable, of go'od musical action, and well adaptedtov withstand' normal hard usage. Other objects will be inpart obvious or in part pointed out hereinafter.

Theinvention'A accordingly consists in the features of construction', combinations of elements, arrangements ofpartsas will be exemplified in the structure to be hereinafter described` and the scope of the application of which will'be indicatedy in the following claims.

Inthe'accompanying drawing, in which is illustratively shown a .preferred embodiment of my invention,v

Fig.; lisa front'elevation-of the chime signalling devic'e'as` seen with f the cover removed;

Eig. 2- is an end elevation. as seen from the bottom ofi Fig. 1.; and

Fig.s3ris a-fragmentary central sectional View oflvthe device shown in Fig. 1, showing also the manner-of installation-of the device.

Similar. reference characters refer tol similar parts throughout the several views of the drawing;`

I preferably provide a base plate III of sheet metal provided `with aperipheral flange I'l which can-rest 'against'f the face of the door or panel I2 (Fig. 3)V tolwhichfthedevice may be secured in anyy suitable way as by screws, as indicated in Fig. 3,' the baseplate I D being provided with suitableholes I 3' for that purpose.

Along the longitudinal side edges of the base plate` I I provide laterally spaced but'preferably parallel vibratable sounding elements I4 and I5,Y preferably in the form of metal. bars or plates, preferably diieiently dimensioned so as to emit distinguishing musical tones. These may* be supportedin. any, suitable wayas. by bushings I'I of rubber. or` other. cushioningv material which` pass through. suitably `spaced. holes in the sounding elements It andrIS, being; in turn secured to the upstandingvarmsaof VI.-sl'1apedbrackets I 6; that 2. are secured to thebasefplate'inlany suitable manner as by spot welding.

Inthefspace 'between the sounding elements lf3, I5', near their lower ends, Iv provide a frame I'81havin'gfarfront plate I8a and side arms I8b and ISG which 'areflanged at their lower ends and secured -vtotheibase plate ID'Y as by spot welding. Ther fronti platefla and the base plate Il] are providediwith bearin'ghol'es |19 and 20 in which arerotatably. supportedlthey trunnioned or stepped endsrofl ashaft 2`I which has rigidly secured to it an arm 22', the upper end of which carries a weighted'head 23 provided with striker elements fandi madeof b'er or hardwood and suitably seatedand-=securedin appropriate recesses formed inthe sides ofl the head 23. The arm 22 is oscillat'ableaboutthe'axis .of shaft 2l, which is preferably midway between the sounding elements M;` I5,\thus to -4bring the striker heads 25v and 26 alternately into impacting engagement with the sounding elements I4 and I5 respectively.

The front plate I8a and the base plate Io are also provided with aligned bearing holes 28 and 29 formingibearings for the trunnioned or stepped ends. ofia sleeve 3U that has extending coaxially therethroug-ha hole-3I to receive a shaft 32 that extends througha hole |2a in the door panel I2, its right-:hand endy being secured toa hub 33 that isY rotatablycarried'- in a suitable and preferably ornamental' plate 3'4vv secured to the outside face of thepanel IZfasby screws 35; the hub 33 being provided with.` any suitable means such as a handle 36-for giving the hub and hence the shaft 32 a suitable rotary motion.

'Ihe'shaft-v 3'2extend's more or less into the hole 3 Il in the sleeve 3i), depending upon the thickness of the door panel I2, and any suitable means such as a set-screw-3'I` inthe sleeve'SEI-may be provided to"effectmnonerotatable connection between the shaftSZ and theisleeve 30.

'l'he'sleevehas fastenedto it in any suitable way aA driving plate-38l that has an upwardext'ension fprovidedfwiti-i a driving connection with the arm 22?.-11 'Ihisdriving connection preferably com-- prises-.a pin-'and-slot or gear teeth arrangement, as-is better- .shown in Figyl, in which the lower endfofxthe arm 22,.which can be a sheet-metal stampingyis provided with a downwardly projecting' member .40",A which may be rounded i over asA indicated randf which is receivable in the slot or-zspaceizbetween. spaced'. tooth-like elements 4 I4 forrnedr in'ithe v driving plate 38", which also can be a sheet-metal stamping. The part 4I) and the recess between the parts 4I- are preferably dimensinect' solthatthe reversible: drive from' one to the other takes place without material play, so that the drive takes place substantially noiselessly.

The driving plate 38 has two spaced downwardly projecting parts 42 and 43 which extend downwardly below the frame I8 and coact with a rigid stud d4 rigidly secured to the base plate I (see Fig. 3) and which preferably projects through the space between the parts 42 and 43 beyond the front plate I8a of the frame I8, and at its outer end it has secured thereto one end of a coiled spring 45, the other end of which is secured to a stud or arm 46 carried by the striker arm 22. About the stud 44 is preferably provided a sleeve or bushing lil which is preferably made of a yield-- able or resilient material, such as rubber, so as to be capable of coacting with the tensioned spring l5 and the striker head 23 preferably in a manner to effect impacting of either of the sounding elements ILi-I without damping the sound-emitting vibration thereof.

For this preferred coaction the parts are so dimensioned that in the at rest postion shown in Fig. 1, with the spring (i stressing the striker arm 212 counter-clockwise and the driving plate 38 clockwise, the part 153 of the driving plate 38 is in engagement with the resilient part IH and the striker is just out of contact with the sounding element lli, being held just to the right of it as suggested in Fig. 1; this at rest position is maintained by a spring 49, one end of which is secured to the driving plate 33 and the other end is secured to an upstanding bracket te secured to the side arm IBo of the frame I8. With the driving plate 33 actuated in counter-.clockwise direction so as to bring the part Li2 into engagement with the cushioning part lil, the striker arm 22 would occupy a position in which the striker just clears the sounding element I5 to the left thereof. In the former case the spring t5 extends to the left (in Fig. 1) of the line joining the axes of the driving plate 3&3 and they striker arm 22, and in the latter case the spring, or its line of pull, is to the right of that axes-joining line. Spring 39, in biasing the driving plate 33 to the above-described normal or at rest position of the parts, is thus effective also to position or hold the handle 33 in its starting position.

A suitable `cover 5I (Figs. 2 and 3) closes over the entire mechanism, having side walls 52 which telescopically intert with the flange il of the base plate I@ to which it is secured in any suitable manner, preferably detachably, and in the side wails adjacent the sounding elements Iii and It suitable apertures 53 may be provided for sound emission, the entire enclosure functioning 'as a resonator.

f the external actuator 36 is now turned to swing the driving plate 38 in counter-clockwise direction (Fig. 1) against the tension of spring 9, the driving connection dil-ii swings the striker arm 22 in clockwise direction, storing energy in or tensioning the spring Q5 until the line of pull of the latter passes to the right or" the line joining the aires of the parts 38 `and 22, whence the energy of the spring i5 is extended to accelerate the swing of the striker arm 22, thus, with the aid of the weight of the striker head 23, giving the latter and the rigid striker arm 22 substantial velocity and momentum in its movement toward the sounding element Iii. The rigid part i2 of the driving plate 38 is thereby made to approach the part 4t2-fil at much lower linear velocity, due to the leverage ratio, and when part 42 engages yieldable part il, at which point the striker element 26 would still be spaced to the left of the sounding element I5, the kinetic energy of the moving parts 22-23, acting through the multiplying action of the lever ratios, is suflicient to cause the rigid part 42 to compress the yielding part dl' without materially diminishing the velocity of the striker head 23, the relatively small amount of compression of the yielding part fil being translated, due to the lever arm ratios and the driving connection, into a substantial possible continued movement of the striker head 23 beyond the above-mentioned point just to the left of the sounding element l5, whence the latter is given a sharp blow or impact from which the striker rebounds, thus to bring the striker quickly out of damping engagement with the sounding element, and this rebound may be aided by the reverse drive, through the driving plate 38 and driving connection to the striker arm 22, by the restoration of the yielding part el to its normal uncompressed condition, particularly where the part il is constructed to have substantial resiliency, as when itis made of a suitably compounded rubber.

During the just-described moving stroke to impact the sounding element E5, the biasing spring Il@ is tensioned so that upon release of the external handle te the spring te swings the driving plate tu in yclockwise direction, thus reversing the abone-described actions, this time to impact the sounding element ifi and to cause the part 43, instead of the part ft2, to coact with the parts 'ifi-M The sounding element ill is thus struck and the striker quickly moved out of damping action, and under the action of the springs and coefting parts, restored to the above-described at i st position.

Not only is iidelity of musical tone or tones achieved, but also many other advantages. Due to the multiplying action of the leverages, larger tolerances are possible in the manufacture and assembly of the parts with respectI to the out-ofcontact positions of the striker relative to the sounding elements, and principal consideration need be given primarily to the relationship between t'ne parts t--zi'i and the spaced parts elit3 of the driving plate 3B, and, if desired, the parts may be constructed to be bendable, for speed and ease of adjustment of the parts, it being noted that, due to the driving connection and the lever arm ratios of the parts, only a small adjustment of either part @E or part 43 so affects its coaction with the parts dll-lll as to have a much greater eiTect in the normal or non-striking positions of the striker at the end of the rigid striker arm 2t. Furthermore, the parts will be seen to be of simple and inexpensive construction, capable of ready assembly, and also that the structure is easy to install and is reliable in action.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the above invention and as many changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth, or shown in the accompanying drawing, is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In a signalling device comprising two spaced sounding elements, striker means and actuating means therefor, the combination of a substantially rigid lever rotatably mounted between said elements in a position to swing in an arcuate path between them, said lever having a relatively long arm adapted to serve as a striker and an oppositely extending .short arm, a rotatably mounted operating shaft, a rocker pivotally mounted on said shaft and having a rst arm adapted to engage the said short arm of said lever and swing it oppositely to the direction of rotation of said rocker, a xed stop, a second arm on said rocker having a bifurcated end the bifurcations of which straddle said fixed stop and in cooperation with said fixed stop serve to limit the rotation of said rocker in either direction, said bifurcations being spaced apart a distance such that one or the other contacts said iixed stop before the striker strikes either of said sounding elements, said stop means including resilient means adapted to yield sufliciently to permit the striker arm of said lever to move the additional angular distance necessary to strike the striker element toward which it is moving and a spring interconnected between the long arm of said lever and the point below the pivot for said lever and movable across the said pivot whereby snap action is imparted to the lever.

2. In a signalling device comprising two spaced sounding elements, striker means, and actuating means therefor, the combination of a substantially rigid lever rotatably mounted between said elements in a position to swing in an arcuate path between them, said lever having a relatively long arm adapted to serve as a striker and an oppositely extending short arm, and actuating means comprising a rotatably mounted operating shaft, a rocker pivotally mounted on said shaft and having a rst arm adapted to engage the said short arm of said lever and swing it oppositely to the direction of rotation of said rocker, a xed stop, a second arm on said rocker having a bifurcated end the bifurcations of which straddle said fixed stop and in cooperation with said xed stop serve to limit the rotation of said rocker in either direction, said `bifurcations being spaced apart a distance such that one or the other of said ends contacts said fixed stop before the striker strikes either of said sounding elements, said stop means including resilient means adapted to yield sufficiently to permit the striker arm of said lever to move the additional angular distance necessary to strike the sounding element toward which it is moving, a spring interconnecting the striker arm and said fixed stop and movable with the striker across the pivot of the striker, and means cooperating with said rocker and adapted to be placed under stress by movement of said rocker in either direction thereby building up potential energy whereby it cooperates with said yielding stop element to reverse the direction of rotation of said striker arm immediately after contact of the striking arm with either of said sounding elements.

3. In a signalling device having spaced sounding elements, striker means, and actuating means therefor, the combination of means mounting said striker means between said sounding elements for movement in directions first to strike one element and then the other, said mounting means comprising, a rigid arm having striker means secured at one end thereof, means pivotally supporting said arm intermediate its ends, a rocker pivotally mounted beyond the said pivot of said arm from said striker means, said rocker having mechanical connection to the end of said arm opposite to said striker means to swing said arm oppositely to the direction of rotation of said rocker, spring means interconnected between said arm and a point beyond the pivot of said arm, said spring means being movable with said arm across the pivot of said arm whereby snap action is given to the strokes of said arm, and means limiting the extent of movement of said rocker in either direction to cause said arm to be out of contact with either sounding element while at rest.

GEORGE R. FISH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the` file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

